


Christmas Gifts and Companionship

by itsab



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adopted Children, Christmas, F/M, Female Reader, age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-02-23 01:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23836759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsab/pseuds/itsab
Summary: In need of a Christmas gift for El, Hopper gets some help from the store clerk.
Relationships: Jim "Chief" Hopper/Reader
Kudos: 12





	Christmas Gifts and Companionship

**Author's Note:**

> This involves a female reader, and female pronouns.

For some people, Christmas could be the loneliest time of the entire calendar year. In Hawkins Indiana, this was especially true of those who didn’t also have family who lived in the small, ‘sleepy’ town. It’s a well-known fact that people were inclined to spend their holidays with loved ones, and that this left those without in the lurch. For the Chief of Hawkins’ Police, Jim Hopper (a lonely man who had lost a young child to cancer, and a wife to a life that did not involve him) this had been the case for a number of years. The bear of a man usually spent this period of the year being the ‘on call’ police officer at the station, or drinking his sorrows away with scotch, occasionally alternating with seasonally-appropriate eggnog.

This year was different to previous years, however, as Jim Hopper had ‘adopted’ a young girl by the name Jane, whom he happily planned to spend the holidays with. It had been a long process for their small family, and getting to this point, where the whole town knew of his adoption of the girl, had been arduous. After a year of hiding, a trip or two to Hawkins’ Lab (better known as; The Place No-one Wants To Go Back To), plenty of fights (both of the physical, emotional, and supernatural variety), and a heck load of tears… Well, it had been a long year for Jane ‘El’ Hopper, which is exactly why the police Chief found himself standing in the middle of the town’s new toy shop, that had opened only the month before. He felt she more than deserved a really good gift, for her first ‘real’ Christmas.

The only problem was, he didn’t know what to get her.

Jim had been tempted to ask Joyce Byers, perhaps ring her up and question what a young girl may want as a present. He had stopped himself from doing that, though. He understood that the stressed-out woman needed time to grieve for Bob, and then attempt to celebrate the holidays with her family. The Chief had considered phoning the Wheeler’s house, to interrogate Mike on his daughter, but then scrapped that idea when he realised he’d have to talk to Mrs Wheeler (a woman in a loveless marriage, who made him uncomfortable with her not-so-subtle flirting).

So, this left Hop awkwardly staring down a big, plush-looking teddy-bear, wondering if his Jane was too old for something like that. Did she even want a cuddly-toy? The girl was already reaching her teens, so he swiftly scrapped that idea all together. His eyes trailed down the shelving to some board games, and Hopper wondered if they had that ‘Dungeons’ game in the store. He knew that ‘El’ sometimes went to the Wheeler’s to play said game with the boys. He ended up grabbing a box that looked like it had magical illustrations on the front, but saw it to be named ‘Neverlandia’ rather than ‘Dungeons-something-or-other’.

“You need some help, officer?” The voice definitely startled the tall man, breaking his deep thoughts, despite its mellowness. Swiftly turning around, Jim met the amused smile of Y/N Y/L, the proprietor of the entire toy shop. The two had met a few weeks ago, when he had attempted to take Jane shopping. The kind woman had helped the two of them navigate buying clothes for a young girl, who was close to transitioning into a teenager. “’Neverlandia’, huh? Didn’t take you for games like that. I always saw you as more of a ‘Guess Who?’ guy.”

Jim smirked a little at the joke. He was man enough to admit that this woman (who was a fair few years younger than him, a decade younger at least) was absolutely gorgeous when she teasingly ribbed him. “Actually, I’m into Scrabble, thanks. And uh, no, this isn’t for me, actually.”

Before he could further explain himself, she cut him off, “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of buying this for that sweet daughter of yours.” At his stricken look, she laughed loudly, her shoulder shaking as her face scrunched in complete amusement. “Oh, don’t you listen to her?” There was a pause as Y/N giggled, “Mr Hopper, you absolute man, she fully said to me, in front of you only two weeks ago, that she hates board games.”

Hop didn’t remember them discussing this, “What?”

“She said that she hates the rules to them? ‘Too many and not fun’, if I remember correctly.”

Well, that sounded more familiar to Jim. “Then why does she play them every week, with her little friends?” Something about the look in Y/N’s eyes told him he might not like the answer.

“She only plays because of a boy, duh.” The teasing tone wasn’t lost on him.

“Ah.” He put back the box, now not knowing what to get her at all now. “Do you, uh, have any suggestions then, on what to get her?” Any recommendation at this point would be helpful.

Y/N sized him up for a moment, then looked over her shoulder to a wall of photo frames, which lined said shop’s wall. “I have an idea, but it’s not exactly a toy.” She wandered over to where she was looking, and Jim easily followed her path. The younger woman pointed to one of the older photos, which had faded slightly over time. The photograph showed a young girl and what looked like her father, smiling and laughing together. “This is my father and I, taken when I was about six.” She watched Jim smile softly as his eyes grazed the photograph, himself reminded of his lost Sara. “He gave it to me, before I left to go to university,” Jim’s eyes widened, not too noticeably, as he mulled over the fact that she was highly educated. “I cherish it a lot, even now, because I needed that kind of reassurance back then. Maybe, your Jane could also use that sort of reassurance right now.” Y/N looked him in the eye, probably making sure he was truly taking in what she was saying. “She’s recently adopted, Chief, and probably eager to have cemented some good memories with you.”

Jim couldn’t fault the logic and he sent a genuinely grateful smile her way, “Thanks, Y/N.” Rubbing his short beard, Hop quickly flicked through his memories, searching for any instances where he may have been photographed together with ‘El’. He vaguely remembered that Joyce’s eldest was always carrying around a camera strung from his neck. Perhaps he had taken a picture or two, he’d have to ask him.

“You know, they sell some really nice frames next door, in that jewellery store. Very ornamental. Also, they have some really beautiful lockets, if you were interested in something like that, instead.” Y/N’s smile was so helpful and incredibly soft, and Jim Hopper truly realised how much he missed people like Y/N. Despite people being ever-so-slightly friendlier in smaller towns like Hawkins, it hadn’t been since his wife and Sara had Jim felt so understood – as well as cared for, in a way that stopped his thought process so suddenly.

The lumbering man made a very quick decision, not hesitating, “Would you want to go to dinner, sometime?” Hop knew a connection when he felt one, and he was not about to miss his chance at something so important. Call him a softie (and his deputies definitely would have) but he missed the feeling of being in love, and everything else that a true relationship had given him. He missed that companionship.

“I don’t know… It depends,” Y/N’s eyes were full of flirty-teasing, “Is the dinner to thank me for all my help today?”

“Only partly.”

Her grin shone at him, “Then I’d love to.”


End file.
